R.C.N. Engineering: lamination - no loner just a trend but a real need

2011-06-01 | Laminating

Lamination and its diverse needs and demands in the glass sector are the specialization of the company presented in this article – R.C.N. Engineering. PowerLam, its flagship product for laminating with EVA and PVB film, continuously undergoes development to keep pace with the complex shapes and types of glass used.

R.C.N. Engineering: lamination - no loner just a trend but a real need

THE COMPANY AND ITS PRODUCTIONR.C.N. Engineering is a familyowned and run company with considerable experience in the glass sector. Renovation regarding company structure, premises and - of course - its production, have enabled the company to grow continuously, even in crisis periods. This ability to renew and adapt, keeping pace with the technological developments of the sector, has enabled R.C.N. to remain in the forefront with regards to hot processing of glass.R.C.N.’s main production is made up of three complete lines of furnaces for diverse needs:- laminating furnaces;- fusion furnaces; and- kilns for transparent washbasins.

FURNACESThanks to its experience in the glass sector, R.C.N. offers avant-garde solutions and technologies for the production of sophisticated glass furnishings and customized applications, combined with the most original shapes and sizes.The details and results of the finished products, processed with R.C.N.’s furnaces, feature high accuracy for each and every process, so as to guarantee clients the best possible quality and level of safety as per the norms in force.

PowerLam – PVB laminationThe new PowerLam laminating line has been created to significantly reduce process times using EVA film. This innovative patented technology now enables to laminate also using PVB, thus providing operators the possibility of using two alternative products.Until now, the traditional system of lamination with EVA involved the use of vacuum bags, with long proc...

THE COMPANY AND ITS PRODUCTIONR.C.N. Engineering is a familyowned and run company with considerable experience in the glass sector. Renovation regarding company structure, premises and - of course - its production, have enabled the company to grow continuously, even in crisis periods. This ability to renew and adapt, keeping pace with the technological developments of the sector, has enabled R.C.N. to remain in the forefront with regards to hot processing of glass.R.C.N.’s main production is made up of three complete lines of furnaces for diverse needs:- laminating furnaces;- fusion furnaces; and- kilns for transparent washbasins.

FURNACESThanks to its experience in the glass sector, R.C.N. offers avant-garde solutions and technologies for the production of sophisticated glass furnishings and customized applications, combined with the most original shapes and sizes.The details and results of the finished products, processed with R.C.N.’s furnaces, feature high accuracy for each and every process, so as to guarantee clients the best possible quality and level of safety as per the norms in force.

PowerLam – PVB laminationThe new PowerLam laminating line has been created to significantly reduce process times using EVA film. This innovative patented technology now enables to laminate also using PVB, thus providing operators the possibility of using two alternative products.Until now, the traditional system of lamination with EVA involved the use of vacuum bags, with long process times which included loading, pre-vacuum, processing, post-vacuum cooling, and unloading. PowerLam can reduce processing times of some thicknesses by up to 70 per cent.The PowerLam laminating line is made up of three fundamental elements:- the motorized loading rollers, which enable the automatic transport of the glass into the chamber;- the furnace, heated with upper and lower heating elements, controlled by plc-connected thermo-couples;- a vacuum chamber with oil-pump and cooling systems with ventilators above and below. The opening and closing of the furnace is carried out by pistons, which guarantee the perfect closure of the furnace. All processes are controlled by an E1070 plc – with the possibility of memorizing processing cycles;- unloading of the glass is carried out by means of motorized rollers.The line can also be equipped with only one set of rollers for loading and unloading in the case of reduced available space.

ACCESSORIESSilicon bagsR.C.N. also manufactures silicon bags for the lamination of flat or curved glass. Called Silikosoft, these bags have a patented ‘pressure’ closure system, which can be repaired without difficulty. Silikosoft bags are suitable for lamination inboth autoclaves as well as autoclave-free lines. Moreover, they are highly flexibly and adhere perfectly to the most complicated shapes and sized without difficulty.A further important feature of Silikosoft bags is their considerable resistance to high temperatures and pressure.

SPEAKING TO R.C.N. ENGINEERINGGlass-Technology International went to visit R.C.N. at its new premises near Abbiategrasso, south of Milan, northern Italy, to speak to Stefano Ricchi, owner and Managing Director of the company, which now has 13 employees, divided between workshop and offices. R.C.N. Engineering can, thanks to the larger workshop area – 2,300 square metres instead of the previous 1,000 square metres – ensure delivery of its finished machines in half the time. Not only, there is so much space that the company can work on and assemble four machines at the same time – finishing them in two months instead of the previous six. In the new workshop area, there is also a special area that will soon be dedicated to a cold room for the storage of PVB film, ensuring clients the delivery of the same film in about 24 hours. Everything the company makes is done entirely in-house.This means starting with the design, metalwork - structure, and assembly before delivery to the client. The only items that are manufactured out by third party companies are the metal sheets to go onto the structure. Ricchi gave us an idea of the developments that have been carried out on the flagship product of the company: the PowerLam.“Since the first example of this laminating furnace in 2008, there have been many changes and new patented parts and components developed. PowerLam can process 16 furnace loads over an eight-hour work shift – the equivalent of 130 metres of glass, also operating 24/7.Ten of these furnaces have already been sold. And, because the new version of PowerLam is so complex, the company prefers to do everything in-house.“In our new premises, we have a dedicated storage area for EVA film and we will, in the future, also have an area for PVB, which will ensure fast delivery times – 24 hours from order to delivery – all sizes, not only small pieces. How are thing going with your furnaces?Very well at the moment, because PowerLam is the furnace of the future. We have increased the production of a normal machine fourfold, using EVA film, thanks to the possibility of continuous production. From four furnace loads of a normal machine to 16 with PowerLam – in an eight-hour shift. This is equivalent to – if we are speaking about glass measuring 2.10 x 4.50 millimetres – 10 square metres, all together about 130 metres per day (including loading and unloading time). We have already sold 10 of these new machines.And, at these new premises, we have groups of potential clients coming to see us and the machine up and running for trials each and every single day.These visitors have already seen the previous versions of the machine and now want to see the most recent one. If necessary, we can also take visitors to see a previous version of the machine in real production at a client’s premises about 10 kilometres from here.Now, at these new premises, other than the storage area for EVA and PVB, we will also be setting up a laboratory and testing area for lamination. These tests will help eliminate problems regarding adherence, yellowing, and so on, which can occur when more economic films are used. R.C.N. is ready to respond to all market requests, not with standard machines, but with made-to-measure solutions for both large and small glassmakers. What are your thoughts about the present situation of the market?I’m sure that when this crisis finally ends we will enter a period of economic boom. The world – and Italy – cannot stand still. And thanks to the inventive of Italian people, we will probably be among the first countries to come out of the crisis.And with economic development in mind, tempering furnaces are becoming a real need for glassmakers. Those who want to keep up with the market will, in the near future, need to have a laminating furnace – in-line if possible. And 2011?In my opinion, 2011 is the year of preparation for the post-crisis. In fact, we at R.C.N. have already seen an increase in turnover, even if we are still not back to the previous levels of before the crisis. The market is still quite slow but this is mainly due to the global financial situation.What about your silicon bags for laminating?Our silicon bags were developed following on from bags with zip closures. On the contrary to zip-closure bags, Silikosoft bags do not deform as they have a silicon closure, which we have patented, of course, with regards to their closure. They are guaranteed for at least 5,000 hours of work. We also manufacture bags for the size requested by glassmakers and not just a standard size. Using our bags, glassmakers can also laminate curved glass items too. What will be the future developments of the glass industry?I think that the main development of the glass industry will be tempering and laminating, which is quite easy to understand, considering the present safety norm in force. We are moving more and more towards large areas of glass, special types of glass and the need for more and more insulation.